Apr 1, 2013

Happy Monday, hope everyone had a nice weekend. Today is the first day of April and Spring is in the air! I started my morning with a two mile run which felt great, and I thought it would be the perfect day to enjoy this delicious quinoa salad which I am reviving from the archives.

Black beans, sweet mango, and lots of colorful vegetables make a delicious zesty salad that has wonderful texture, color and flavor. Serve this as a side dish at a potluck or enjoy this as a meatless main course with some corn tortillas (perfect for Meatless Mondays!!) Leftovers are perfect for lunch on the go as the flavors only get better the next day.

Packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, folate, iron and lutein so it's not just tasty, it's good for you.

This recipe is from The Plant-Powered Diet by Sharon Palmer, RD who I met in California on my trip to the Dole Blogger Summit. If you are interested in adding more vegetables and plant-based foods to your diet, this is the book for you.

Quinoa is a seed that most people think is a grain. I live in So. Cal and most of our stores carry it in the healthier part of the store, or the specialty health stores carry it in a large bulk bins. When you cook with it, make sure you rinse it well first or you will git a really bitter taste. Some people put a couple paper towel down in their colander and then rinse it through that since it is so small. The cooking ratio is 2 cups liquid (water or chicken stock) to 1 cup quinoa. Bring liquid to a boil, add quinoa, cover and boil over medium for 20 mins. Stir every once in a while to avoid burning, but not that often as you need the moisture. Enjoy!

Gina thank you so much for being my savior!!! My husband recently had to give up gluten and dairy, and I am trying to lose the baby weight... your website is the only one that makes cooking for our family possible!

I love all the ingredients, but recently found out that a newly acquired allergy to mangoes is what has been causing me to break out in severe hives. So sadly, I never shall eat them again (I'm pretty broken up about it, I only discovered mangoes a couple years ago) - any suggestions for a substitute for them?

Apricots or peaches would make a good substitute (I have made something similar with peaches before). Chop more finely than you would the mago and maybe use slightly less (they have a stronger taste). Sorry to hear about your mango allergy! Had the same thing happen to me with apples

So, I saw this recipe today and figured "why not!". It was my first time making quinoa...I was feeling a little adventurous. Sooo glad I made this! I also added some tomato in it as well. My bf doesn't normally like to try "out of the box" type of recipes but he ate 2 helpings. That's how I know it was a good recipe. Thanks again for another AMAZING and DELICIOUS recipe!!!

My husband said it needs more mango!! I was fine with the recipe but next time im putting lots more mango because why not.. So ya very delish! First time i ever made Quinoa. There is Quinoa all over my kitchen.

I made something similar to this quite often since it is so tasty. Your pictures are lovely. I really love your addition of turmeric considering how great it is for you, and the lovely color it imparts!

I made this to go with dinner tonight (as a side dish to the Fiery Pork Tenderloin recipe on this site), and it was delicious! I wasn't sure exactly how much quinoa to prepare, so I used 1/2 cup dry + 1 cup water, which yielded about 1-1/2 c. of cooked quinoa (I saved the extra 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa... maybe for breakfast tomorrow). I used fresh corn in my recipe, and since I had green onions, used those instead of the red onion. This was really delicious, and the mango really makes the dish! Oh, and I used frozen mango from Trader Joe's, and it worked beautifully. I did add a little sprinkle of salt to my serving.

Delicious! We had it as a side with Salmon for dinner. I tossed in some grilled shrimp the next day for lunch. It tasted even better the second day. I love your site. Everything I have tried has been fabulous!

Made this tonight and it was delish! Such a good summer meal! I added some extra mango because in my opinion, that was the best part. (The worst part is cutting the mango!) And for zero points, why not! I also used 1 1/2 c of cooked quinoa to get a couple more servings out of it. Thank you for a new way to prepare quinoa!

I'm making this for a potluck tomorrow except I'm using bulgar wheat instead of quinoa as it just plain costs a lot less and I'll be making a large batch. I also love the addition of grilled shrimp another poster listed, but that won't be added for the potluck either.

PS - I just love your recipes and so does my family, so far the Swedish meatballs & Cajun Pasta (with shrimp) have become staple go to dinners in our house.

I've been reading your recipes for months now, but this is the first one I tried (not a lot of cooking this summer!) - YUM! Also first time I cooked quinoa. Delicious - I acually used 1 c dry quinoa which is more like 3 c cooked, but it came out looking like yours. I will have lunch for the week - thanks.

This is really good! I made it with brown rice because quinoa is a bit expensive for my budget (at least in the midwest). It tasted a little too lemon-y for me, so next time I will only squeeze half of the lemon. I may have grabbed a large instead of a medium.

Made this tonight and it is FAB! Such a beautiful array of colors and so fresh and light. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow. With the quinoa and black beans, it doesn't even need a meat protein. Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe.

Made this last night but tweaked it a little. My boyfriend and I hate peppers so we just left them out, added a little chicken to make it more of a dinner, and added a little bit of BBQ seasoning to add some smokiness and make it more of a dinner. My boyfriend said it didn't need the seasoning, but I figured I would give it a shot. Great recipe! Thank you Gina for helping me show my boyfriend that I can cut a lot of calories without cutting any flavor!

I must say that this is one of my favorite quinoa recipes now. I did make an entire batch, I should have done half because it is for just myself, but the spices and mixture of veggies alone are wonderful! I had not even added the dressing at the time of the tasting! I did use a yellow pepper, I did not have a red pepper and I am so pleased with this I just had to tell you!!! I have tried other recipes on here which have also become favorites, and THANK YOU for including nutritional info (including sodium when you can).

Yum!!! I omitted the cilantro because, to my dismay, hubby HATES (LOATHES!) cilantro. :( But even with my beloved cilantro being absent, this was still VERY delicious! I added a bit of green onion to sub for the cilantro, and used two whole mangoes. MMMMMM! Great flavor and texture.

Just finished making this for my lunch-for-the-week and it's so delish. Subbed bell peppers with ancient sweets and poblano for the jalapeño since uts what I had. It's so awesome - my grandmother, who's a very picky eater, loved it as well!

Absolutely loved this recipe. It is such a great mix of flavors. Do yourself a favor & double the recipe! I accidentally forgot the corn and had to use bottled lemon juice and it still turned out great.

Delish! I didn't have enough quinoa on hand, but had some tiny star pasta, so I used that. And, instead of chopping up mango and onion and jalapeno and cilantro, I used fresh mango/peach salsa! OMG, so good!

Watch the amount of garlic. The first time I made it, I found two cloves to be way too overpowering for this dish (they were pretty big cloves.) This time around, I only used one large clove & it's juust right.

I also agree with the previous posters, that 1 cup of quinoa just doesn't cut it (and doesn't turn out looking like the pictures above.) I'd recommend doubling or even tripling the amount of quinoa.

That being said, this is an absolutely awesome recipe! So flavorful and interesting. Definiteley worth the pain of chopping that mango! ;)

This recipe is amazing. I've never cooked quinoa before. I omitted the red pepper and turmeric because I didn't have any on hand (but tossed in a small amount of saffron). This will be my lunch for the next couple of days. YUM! thanks, Gina!

Oh my! What a great combination of flavours! This salad is simply fabulous. As I am somewhat a sissy when it comes to raw onions and garlic, I instead added a chopped shallot and grilled garlic to the quinoa that I cooked in chicken broth. I also put 1/4 of the seasonings in the broth for the quinoa. Super, thank you!

This is so tasty its not even right. We didnt add the garlic as in europe garlic seems to be 2-3x more potent. Added a touch of sweet to bring the mango and tumeric out and a dash of apple cider vinegar. Y.U.M.

Hi- I'm the daughter of your daughter's teacher. I made this last night also (made the spicy cauliflower too and noted on this site). This was great as well! I did leave out the cumin and tumeric only because I didn't have any but it was still really delicious!

You always have awesome recipes, so I decided to try quinoa again. The first time I made it, it had an awful flavor, but I rinsed it many, many times this time. I did make a few alterations - kidney beans because I didn't have any black beans on hand, and no peppers because I'm a wimp! I have to say, this is delicious! Thank you for giving me the courage to try quinoa again! You've opened up a whole new door for me!

I have made this twice and really enjoy it over a simple salad. The second time I made it, I used pineapple instead of mango (frozen tidbit worked great), lime, zest of one lime, and did not deseed my jalapeno. Love it! Handy because it lasts forever in the fridge...

Gina, I have made over a dozen of your recipes, and I still have yet to find one I don't like! I have never been a huge quinoa fan, but I've been looking for good recipes to help make me like it. I had some fresh mangoes, and thought I would try this. I loved it!! The marinade is wonderful! You're so creative, and your blog is the only one I keep coming back to! I'll be first on the list to get your new cookbook!

OMG! I already make something just like this, I make it all summer long, it's so delicious, the combination of flavors are outstanding, and it's so good for you! Thanks Gina, i can't wait to try your recipe! MmmMMmm

Made this last night (prob the 20th time I've made it!) to accompany a fritatta, and green tossed salad! My family loves it everytime I make it! I do not add the cumin, chili, or tumeric, I just to the olive oil/lime with salt & pepper (I only like those other seasonings in my Venison Chilli!) Delish and fresh tasting!

Wondering how this would be with some chunks of avocado on top, plus maybe some sour cream and tortilla chips for lunch. I'm gonna try it out tomorrow. This was delicious as a side with our grilled burgers tonight!

Wondering how this would be with some chunks of avocado on top, plus maybe some sour cream and tortilla chips for lunch. I'm gonna try it out tomorrow. This was delicious as a side with our grilled burgers tonight!

I made this two days ago and my husband and I loved it!! It made so much that we had some with dinner, for lunch the next day and dinner again last night. It was delicious - as is every single recipe I have tried from you! Thanks Gina!

This recipe rocked! My friend and I do meal prep every week and we always choose one recipe from Skinnytaste to try out. This was our pick this week and we are in love! My mother-in-law coincidentally made it too and was also a fan. Mmm good!

Hi everyone ! So the next day of making this I had it with tostitos scoops and the following day I made burritos with it! I used the 10" wraps and used 1/4 cups of the quinoa 1/4 cup of cilantro lime white rice , pico de gallo and two slices of avocado. I also used chulula sauce. This was amazing! I felt like I was eating at Qdoba! You guys should really try it this way. You will absolutely love it! I can't wait to make it again next week. The meat wasn't missed. Excellent! Thanks Gina.

This quinoa was delicious, one of my favorite quinoa dishes that I've tried! My whole family liked it and I plan to make it again! I shared your recipe in a recent meal plan on my food blog, rainbowdelicious.com. Thanks!

I made this today, minus the red onion and pepper because I didn't have them, and it is a great lunch! However, I'm not sure I did it right because it sure looks wetter than your pictures. Maybe I needed more quinoa? I topped it with avocado. Yum!